Top 20 UFC Knockouts of 2013

20. Josh Thomson vs. Nate Diaz (UFC on FOX 7 – April 20)

Thomson made the most out of his return to the UFC after eight years in Strikeforce and on the regional scene. Not only did he score a knockout win, but did so against Diaz who is one of the toughest lightweights out there. (PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

19. Thiago Silva vs. Rafael Cavalcante (UFC on Fuel 10 – June 8)

Bad blood between Silva-Cavalcante resulted in beautiful brutality when they met in Brazil. With thirty seconds to go in the first frame, Silva attacked with a flurry of ferocity and caught “Feijao” to pick up the knockout win. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports)

18. Glover Teixeira vs. Ryan Bader (UFC Fight Night 28 – September 4)

This result would read as Bader vs. Teixeira if things had continued as it initially appeared when “Darth” rocked the heavy-handed Brazilian contender. However, Teixeira quickly recovered and dished out enough damage of his own to end Bader’s evening. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Silva-USA TODAY Sports)

17. Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve (UFC on Fuel 8 – March 3)

Hunt gave up more than a foot of height to “The Skyscraper” but heart isn’t as easily measured. He absorbed damage, escaped a few submission attempts, and eventually rocked Struve en route to a third round TKO. (PHOTO CREDIT: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports)

16. Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt (UFC 166 – October 19)

Lombard went from undersized middleweight to welterweight contender in less than two minutes after mashing Marquardt into paste. The sight was certainly a relief for fans who had seen him lose two middleweight contests via Split Decision, showing size DOES matter…at least inside the Octagon. (PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports)

15. Melvin Guillard vs. Mac Danzig (UFC on FOX 8 – July 27)

Guillard has a reputation as one of the nastiest sluggers on the UFC roster thanks in part to performances like the one he turned in against Danzig over the summer. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

14. Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping (UFC on FX 7 – January 19)

Bisping talked a lot of trash about Belfort but didn’t back it up. “The Phenom” flattened him with a head kick and some follow-up punches less than 90 seconds into the second round. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports)

13. Travis Browne vs. Josh Barnett (UFC 168 – December 28)

Opponents will have to think twice when it comes to attempting to take Browne down based on his recent history of flattening foes who try. Like Gabriel Gonzaga before him, Barnett grabbed hold of Browne and pushed him against the fence only to eat a series of vicious elbows sending him into la-la land. The knockout was the first Barnett had experienced in more than a decade of being a top flight heavyweight. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

12. Jake Ellenberger vs. Nate Marquardt (UFC 158 – March 16)

Marquardt came into the UFC on the heels of a five-round outpointing to Tarec Saffiedine based primarily on leg kicks. Once again his wheels would prove to be wobbly, though based on Ellenberger’s power leaving Marquardt unable to defend himself three minutes into the effort. The knockout was the first Marquardt had suffered in five years and only the second of his career. (PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

11. Anthony Pettis vs. Donald Cerrone (UFC on FOX 6 – January 26)

Cerrone called out Pettis in hopes of stealing some of his thunder. However, Pettis was more than prepared for the task at hand, dropping “Cowboy” in the opening stanza with a beautifully placed kick to the body. (PHOTO CREDIT: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)

10. Lyoto Machida vs. Mark Munoz (UFC Fight Night 30 – October 26)

Fans had been calling for Machida to drop down to 185 pounds for awhile and it proved to be the right move. Not only did “The Dragon” smoke Munoz with a textbook head kick, but he also had the presence of mind to avoid delivering unnecessary strikes to his fallen friend after seeing him go limp. (PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

9. Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann (UFC on Fuel 8 – March 3)

There was no doubt these two would slug it out in their scrap and they definitely did just that. Silva ended up on top, blasting Stann into orbit to the delight of fans in Japan who saw his rise to the top during the PRIDE era. (PHOTO CREDIT: Ken Pishna-MMAWeekly)

8. Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida (UFC 164 – August 31)

Guida had fought 43 times before facing Mendes and never been knocked out. However, that changed in the third round of his rumble with “Money” after Mendes made it clear his time training with Duane Ludwig had absolutely improved his stand-up prowess. (PHOTO CREDIT: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

7. Antonio Silva vs. Alistair Overeem (UFC 156 - February 2)

Overeem went from contender to pretender in 2013 but started off strong against Silva. Of course, once the shredded Dutchman’s energy faded after an initial surge the end quickly came about with “Bigfoot” finishing Overeem off early on in the third round. (PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

6. Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold (UFC on FX 8 – May 18)

Belfort had as good a year as any of his peers. Rockhold came into the effort as the final man to wear Strikeforce gold in the middleweight division and left on the wrong end of a highlight reel finish set up by a spinning heel kick. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports)

Browne took a beating early in the bout but never gave up. A front kick to Overeem’s face brought back fans’ memories of Anderson Silva-Vitor Belfort, while the ensuing hammer fists probably wiped out a portion of Overeem’s overall ability to recall information. (PHOTO CREDIT: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)

Anyone who thinks flyweights lack knockout power clearly hasn’t seen “Mighty Mouse” in action. Though his bout with Benavidez – the #2 125er in the sport – was expected to be competitive it was actually over in a little more than two minutes thanks to a counter-strike sending the top contender down and out. (PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

3. Vitor Belfort vs. Dan Henderson (UFC Fight Night 32 - November 9)

Belfort didn’t want to risk his status as a middleweight title-contender so he took a tilt at 205 pounds. The decision proved to be a wise one given the violent result. Henderson had never been knocked out going into his battle with Belfort, making the 77-second stoppage all the more impressive. (PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

2. Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt (UFC 160 – May 25)

Dos Santos appeared to have given his all against Hunt but wasn’t able to put him away. That was, until a spinning hook kick came out of nowhere and connected with less than a minute to go in their meeting. (PHOTO CREDIT: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

1. Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva (UFC 162 – July 6)

Weidman did the unthinkable by not only beating Silva for the middleweight belt but leaving the legendary striker in a heap. The knockout loss remains the first and only of Silva’s career. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

With UFC 168 officially in the books, the organization’s run of shows in 2013 has finally come to an end. It’s been a good twelve months to say the least with plenty of options to pick from when breaking down the year’s best action, especially in regards to knockouts. Here’s a walk down memory lane with twenty of the top strike-based stoppages fans were lucky enough to witness in the span since the calendar rolled over on January 1…